WWE: 10 bad, goofy, and weirdly good wrestling gimmicks
By Mark Lynch
Steven Regal: Real Man’s Man
Real name: Darren Kenneth Matthews
WWE character rating: C
William Regal has been through many changes within the WWE and WCW. One of the worst and somehow best was his Real Man’s Man. The Titantron showed him squeezing oranges with his hands for his juice, lifting heavy objects, chopping wood, and other stereotypical manly things. It’s easily one of the funniest video packages the WWF has put together.
During one of William Regal’s matches with Daniel Bryan, the Man’s Man music hit when Regal came to the ring. Regal couldn’t help but laugh. He knows how goofy that gimmick was. It’s not good, but decades later, remains hilarious.
Isaac Yankem DDS
Real name: Glenn Jacobs
WWE character rating: D-
Glenn Jacobs wasn’t always the Big Red Machine, Kane. Once upon a time, he was a demented dentist named Isaac Yankem, DDS. As in, “I’m gonna yank’em (your teeth) out of your mouth.” It was both a dumb and great idea.
On one hand, no one enjoys going to the dentist. They cause pain and it can be a scary experience. Plus, Jacobs towers over most people. On the other hand, he’s still a dentist. Not to say that they aren’t tough, but they aren’t beating fictional Vikings and characters from parts unknown. There’s no chance in Hell this character could work longer than it did. Thankfully, Jacobs dropped that gimmick and became a legend.